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Saturday, December 31, 2011

The TCS Decoded

At the evening of year 2011,its hard to say whether the whole year should be considered splendid or squalor,but reasons are yet ample to redeem few harshness and rising to normalcy.Ofcourse, there we will found the best way for humanity; I am not over cheering but also not less than sanguine for new year...be sure,many thing will be up to the mark this year.Best wishes to you and for yours in 2012.. :)

Book Review: Non-fiction/Memoir,The TCS Story by S.Ramadorai, Penguin/2011, 287 pp; Rs699 (Hardback)The humble admittance of S.Ramadorai for being less expressive and an unplanned writer augurs well. Like an efficient professional and unintended writer, he keeps progressing with neutrality in the initial pages of his autobiography, The TCS Story. Henceforth, the narration drives in rhythm once the TCS story enters in his present cognition. When someone’s occupation started routing the fore, things take place in different resolution. Author himself being one of the catalysts of India’s new economy could easily relate his own progress across the ladder with the changing developmental landscape of this nation. His rise or TATA’s rise simply reminds the progress, India has made over the years. But neither this book, nor any other inserted views from outside would falsify, that the progress of nation is below the potential?

TATA is a big brand or even more than only a brand tag, it’s the height of India’s entrepreneurial drive. India’s largest business conglomerates so motto, “leadership with trust “is justified throughout its long course of existence in the diverse domains. The nationalist legacy of the two great business leaders, Jamshetjee Tata and J.R.D Tata’s has still not come to halt in different companies of TATA group. Much before the philanthropy stuck western world, first as fashion and later as profitable holy business, founder of TATA used to return the two third of his earnings to the nation. Numbers of the institutions made by TATA like, TIFR, TISS, IISc or the city of Jamshedpur simply reminds the essentiality and scope of sustainable business in longer course. Author of this book, as the founding member of TCS has lived those ideals and that’s easily evident through his honest conviction in writing and undoubtedly through his professional ethics, which have been shaping this company very well in decades.

This alumnus of Delhi University, IISc and University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) had sailed against the stream to join TATA at much lower compensation, and then the USA used to be the dream place for every technical aspirant. But as he admits, that was a conscious decision for making not only a career but a purposeful career. Like a typical Tambramh, his Civil Servant father entrusted within him the importance of frugality and keeping ones greed at toe, which made a perfect metamorphosis possible. The TCS Story, is not merely confined with the success sagas of India’s biggest IT Company but it in parallel, encompasses the nuanced views on external factors that have been influencing the growth of this enterprise. Reading this book enables a reader, to know the functional intricacies of software business and in particular, the successful journey of India in this domain.

TCS was founded in 1968 and it touched the $1billion mark only after thirty five years of long struggle in 2003, next year it went for IPO and rest is the history, how this company has maximized its worth to six fold in last seven years. Fortunately, more or less, same remained the case with other Indian IT companies as well. Despite facing the ire of recessions and consequently the major alteration in services demand from the offshore client, they have somehow managed to keep the growth momentum intact. Reason is obvious of comparatively stable doing of Indian IT companies, till now; they have been indeed running by the ethical business leaders barring exception of Satyam. But it’s also possibly the best case of scam management anywhere in the world; once a beleaguered company is again in the sound race; all credit should goes to the finest infusion of corporate governance and timely interference of government!

The business leaders in IT domain have emerged through the scratches and the way once TCS/Infosys have started were not very much different from the startup in SMEs. There were all hurdles and few respite for working in relax for the early IT guys. Regulatory interference was the major killing force for its genuine bloom till 1990’s;second major blockades were coming from the slow technical advancement and especially the snail’s pace of its sharing from the western innovators. Under S.Ramadorai, first TCS and later other Indian companies acquired the basic transfer of tools, expertise and services demand from major western economies. Today, a company like TCS works in many areas including consultancy, date centers etc but never to forget, the rise of this industry is one of the satisfying outcome India’s ushering into reform era. N.Narayanmurthy always says this and Ramadorai has also referred this, though implicitly throughout the book.

Those who also know, S.Ramadorai outside of the scenic TCS house, equally give him fine credit for his humane gesture and extraordinary zeal for pursuing ethical business. He has been living a simple life but rose to uncommonness; similarly he remained under promised but ended high delivered. What else could be more rewarding for a gentle professional? This book will inspire the aspirants of different profession and also those, who have entrepreneurial leaning. In short, this work is a full proof of excellence and India’s different realities! Atul Kumar Thakur December 31, 2011, Saturday, New Delhi Email: summertickets@gmail.com .

2 comments:

Brilliant review Mr. Thakur...Your take on language makes the identity of the texts more contextual and reachable to the minds of the readers... Hope this book presents the similar crystal clear perspective as done by your review! -Varsha Singh

I must thank you for sharing the book review of the TCS story by its ex-CEO.Even though this book would be very much relevant to me, but because of work pressure and other household work, I couldn't manage to read this book now. Still, I got the insight of the book through such a nicely described review given by you.Thank you for it.In our induction training time, we often were shown the videos on the lives of Jamshedji Tata and JRD Tata, where great emphasis were put on driving the business with ethics. It always used to inspire me and I think it is because of these ethical business values that TCS stands out even in times recession..Pooja Thakur,TCS Chicago

About Me

Atul K Thakur is a Journalist, Writer and Policy Practitioner, with specialisation in the interface of politics and economics. His interests of writing and research is quite diverse and reaches to the areas of international affairs, with special focus on South Asia.
As an author/editor, his latest book is "India since1947:Looking Back at a Modern Nation"/Niyogi Books, an anthology on modern India. Now, he is editing the next volume with keeping in mind, India in future -- and writing a book that will have bearing on the contemporary political and social history of South Asia.
As a journalist/columnist, he has written for publications include: The Hindu, The Pioneer, The Kathmandu Post, The Daily Star, Businessworld, Governance Now, Tehelka, The Friday Times, The Himalayan Times, Mainstream, Seven Sisters Post.
Contact: M: +91-9873160118 / summertickets@gmail.com.